Haiti

Jean Bernard Thomas “Limye”

Jean Bernard Thomas’s music is thrilling urban subculture music, always conscious, that of young men in dreads, denouncing and refusing. His song “Limye” brings light, limye translates to light, to Haiti.

Niska “Bagay Male Net”

Niska is Haiti’s postmodern diva of Hip hop electronica. With “Bagay Male Net,” she epxresses the sheen that young women covet and spend much dinero for, when at beauty salons and nail salons on the island, which are very popular despite endemic poverty.

Brothers posse “sexy pintade”

Brothers posse’s lead singer being a Senator, their music is political and this one denounces the return of the right in Haiti, which they accuse of being neo-Duvalierist, Duvalierism being a father then son dictatorship that became world famous for human rights atrocities. It is a carnaval song.

Enposib “Domino”

Enposib is the newest band committed to producing sultry dance music to affect and obsess Haiti’s youth. Their song “Domino” uses the beloved game of Domino as a metaphor for engaging in a relationship.

Follow jah “omaj”

Follow Jah’s “Omaj” is bande a pye cultural nationalism, born in the mountains of Haiti as the meeting between dissident taino, Haiti’s early inhabitants before columbus, and dissident black slaves, translated to thriving within Haitian urban reality of politics and creole pleasure. Theirs is a potent version of it.

Kreyol LA “Voye’m Anle”

Kreyol La’s konpa is the closest to manifesting Haitian urban youth culture of taxi-motos, radio djs, tonalities inherited from mother Africa while chatting in kreyol language, and black power, or Haitian pride, hairdos like afros and dreads. Their song “Voye’m Anle,” or send me in the air, is a carnaval song that does the dymamism of Haitian urbane youthfulness justice.

Harmonik “Incroyab”

Harmonik, masters of Haitian dance harmonies and grooves, thus the name of the band, dominated dancefloors and still dominates with “Incroyab” a song that is a love poem put to song, in the tradition of young Haitian men or boys writing letters and poems of love to girlfriends, and boyfriends.

Sweet Mickey & Arly “Met Kew”

Here, two superstars of Haitian dance music come together for a song that has both the formality of Arly’s and the spectacle of Sweet Mickey’s, who was Haiti’s president for five years before coming back to music. “Met Kew” translates to master of your heart.

Dener Ceide “Sele bride”

Dener Ceide’s “Sele bride” is contemporary rasin music, or vodou music for dance floors instead of for Vodou temples. Dener is Haiti’s new electrix guitar hero, a vibrant tradition that includes names like Mario Mayala and Robert Martino.